What Does 2019 Have to Offer for the Online Gaming Community?

2018 was another big year for online gaming. Records were broken, new games were released and mind-blowing innovations were introduced to an online gaming community that has also grown to be more diverse over the years. But online gaming is constantly evolving with the times and another year only means one thing: new trends are coming. So, what does 2019 have to offer for the growing online gaming community?

Online gambling continues to dominate the gaming market.

The industry was already worth more than $50 billion last year and is expected to reach $94.4 billion by 2024, so it’s no surprise that online gambling continues to dominate the global gaming market. This steady growth has been due to an increasing number of countries accepting online gambling as a form of entertainment and more land-based casinos embracing the online platform.

The United Kingdom is one of the emerging online gambling markets today, and you can see some useful information about the many online casinos in the UK through www.casinopedia.com. This year will also see new technological milestones for the online gambling industry where live streaming and virtual reality will already be incorporated in games.

Mobile gaming will gain more traction from gamers.

Nothing will beat the fun of playing in a computer or console, but with a community becoming highly dependent on mobile phones, more people want to take their gaming experience everywhere they go, thus the popularity of mobile gaming.

he market is predicted to reach $65 billion this year and developers are competing fiercely against each other in releasing mobile versions of highly popular computer games. A good example is Fortnite that was released for iOS and Android by Epic Games and made $15 million within a month after it was launched. This year, we can expect for more mobile spin-offs of classic hits like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, PAYDAY and Project CARS.

eSports is attracting a bigger gaming audience.

Although eSports have been around for a couple of years now, it wasn’t until 2016 when it really skyrocketed to fame, thanks to more tournaments being held across different countries to give gamers the opportunity to show off their skills on the big stage. Prizes in major gaming tournaments can also reach up to millions and competitions range from first person shooting to multiplayer online battle arenas. This year, an estimated 427 million people from around the world will be watching eSports competitions through online platforms like YouTube and Twitch.

Augmented reality and virtual reality will be making headway.

No one can forget the immense popularity of Pokemon GO when it was launched in the market a few years ago. People were everywhere looking for pokemons and it became a worldwide phenomenon that got everyone with a mobile device hooked. This year, Pokemon GO will be seeing some new updates to maintain its traction towards its audience and new AR games will also be released to hopefully follow its success.

Virtual reality, on the other hand, is a fairly new concept to most gamers. But with more people looking to invest in virtual reality accessories, developers are taking advantage of its popularity by releasing virtual reality games that offer gamers a more immersive experience. 2019 will see games like Stormland and Lone Echo 2 making headway into the market feature innovative VR tech that gamers will surely love.

Cryptocurrency is the new currency.

Bitcoin suffered probably one of its biggest downfalls last year, but that doesn’t stop cryptocurrency’s growing popularity in online gaming. In fact, more gamers are using cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin as an alternative mode of payment because they are discreet and don’t require personal information, which helps maintain anonymity for players.

Transactions are also fairly straightforward since cryptocurrencies are not regulated by any financial institution or government, which is why it is becoming a preferred option for more gamers, especially those who are into online gambling.

Finally, there is the continuing popularity of live streaming, which is now a means for gamers to not only play games but also watch eSports competitions no matter where they are. An evidence of this growth is the huge following of online platforms like Twitch, which is now the leading streaming platform with more than 15 million active users on a daily basis. This number is expected to grow more this year and these online platforms are expected to improve their systems to offer a better viewing experience to their audience.

Exciting things are coming for online gaming this year, that’s for sure. With such an unpredictable industry, the online gaming community will definitely be in for new revelations and surprises as the year progresses.